Consistency Must Improve, and Quickly For New York City FC
May 17, 2017; Sandy, UT, USA; New York City FC midfielder Alexander Ring (8) reacts after a goal in the first half by teammate forward Sean Okoli (9) against the Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

New York City FC have claimed some impressive results, but it’s fair to question the consistency of this side after loss in Utah. 

New York City FC fell 2-1 to Salt Lake City in their second of four consecutive away matches. Sean Okoli’s finish sent the visitors in front inside five minutes, but strikes from Albert Ruznak and Albert Maund saw the hosts earn a victory in Utah.

The defeat should certainly draw attention to the consistency of the New York side. NYCFC have picked up some impressive results since the season began, but disappointing results have not been absent from their schedule either.

The New Yorkers rain riot over D.C United in their home opener, fought back to defeat then-Eastern Conference leaders Columbus, despite Villa’s inability to play, and dominated Atlanta United a week later. A point against F.C Dallas is also a fine result, as the Texas side stand unbeaten so far.

Yet a few weeks after their 4-0 win over the capital club, they fell to them and were also poor in their fixture with Orlando at Yankee Stadium as they fell to a 2-1 defeat.

The league positions of both NYC and Salt Lake prior to the matchup attested to NYC’s status as favorites. The visitors would have ended up third had they won, while Salt Lake lie above only one team in the western conference. Given both a series of impressive and poor results, recognition of inconsistency ought to accompany their most recent defeat.

Great results against excellent sides are always vital to a successful season. Rarely does a team fail to win key matches, yet enjoy a respectable season. However, impressive victories against Atlanta and away at Columbus will count for little in the end without the regularity of positive results throughout a season.

Alexander Puri is eighteen years of age and currently resides in Manhattan, where he has lived for his entire life. He plans to pursue media studies when he attends Boston University as a freshman this September. Alexander is a passionate soccer fan and supports Juventus, Liverpool FC, and NYCFC. He watches these clubs play on a regular basis and has written multiple articles about all three teams. He normally spends his weekends watching the English Premier League before participating in pickup-soccer games in numerous fields throughout the city. Outside of sports, Alexander takes great interest to science fiction and fantasy franchises and often reads comics and watches films of such genres. For any inquires, you can reach him at alexarjun24@gmail.com